Over the past year, the Register of Corrupt Persons was replenished by 2.4 thousand people, which is three times less than during the conflict in 2021. The analysis shows that the main reasons for the inclusion of violators on this list have undergone changes during the full-scale war. In 2021, the main violations were detected inaccuracies in declarations (76%), but in 2022 the authorities made the submission and verification of declarations optional, which led to a sharp decrease in violators in this area during 2022 and 2023.
Instead, more bribe-takers began to be included in the Register: 38.2% for giving a bribe, 53.1% for a promise. However, punishments for corruption remain rather mild in Ukraine, because they are often released with a fine, which is 92% of the total number of sentences. While those who were deprived of their liberty or sentenced to community service or a probationary period make up only 5-8%.
According to the analysis, the most corrupt officials were found in such regions as Lviv, Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk. Over the past three years, Lviv Oblast has been the leader in terms of the number of sentences. The number of entries in the Register has decreased over time. In 2021, 537 cases were recorded, compared to only 192 last year.
Applicants from Opendatabot emphasize that the Register of Corrupt Persons cannot be the only indicator of the fight against corruption in Ukraine. They believe that the solution to the problem of corruption requires the construction of transparent systems, and not a tendency to selective punishment. A significant number of life sentences "for corruption" reflects the quality of the data in the register and the effectiveness of the work of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption.
It is worth noting that there are six state anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine. The largest expenditure of budget funds falls on the maintenance of the State Bureau of Investigations - over 2.4 billion hryvnias for the current year, and in second place in terms of funding is the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine with about 1.3 billion hryvnias.
